this is from my thread so I share with you
I made the mistake, or fell into the trap, " but she was fine yesterday "
Birds hide being sick!!!
When she showed the most extreme sick bird signs I've ever seen, full stand out feather fluff, not eating, nit moving,, only sleeping, turning her head from my food offerings of her FAVORITES ! She was at deaths door !! We have all counsel other if this when they explain their birds simular symptoms. This is an emergency, if you find your bird like this it is an emergency !!! You call your vet and insist to be seen as an emergency! Do NOT wait till the next day! If they can't see you insist they refer you to another vet, even if its an hour away. Usually they will relent and work you in.
I fell into the same trap, the wait and see. I waited to call my vet till afternoon, abd didn't reach her till evening. She wanted me to go get the meds that night. But because she knows me, and my birds, abd I said I thought she perked up a little by evening, we waited. She insisted and waited fir my call at 730 tge next morning to update her.
When she was so sick the next morning, I called, she called the pharmacy a quarter to 9 when they open at 9, the pharmacy called me at 3 min after 9, I picked up meds at 930, abd git them in her by 10. When I picked her up to give the medicine she was ice cold. She was dieing, her system was shutting down. If any of you have taken care of creatures that are in the process of death, or in shock , you know what I mean. Their extremities are cold, their body temperature drops. Mind you its 80 degrees here, and I had a powerful radiant heat panel on her thst she was snugged upto. She was cold not from temperature, she was cold because she was near death. This is also confirmed by my vet.
I foolishly thought I knew best, I put heat on her on the 3oth , ( when this stsrted), heat is critical for sick birds, I started her on antibiotics not prescribed for her, ( yes safe sn appropriate dose,) and I fooled around trying to get her to eat, and to figure out what was going on.
What I should have done is realize I'm looking at a bird that is critical, and call my vet that first morning. I know , many of you know, when yiu see a bird at full fluff, not eating, they can be about to die! They coukd die on the way to the vet, or at the vets, or before tge treatment can take effect. That you must treat this as sn emergency. We have had many people come here seeking advice, we advise must go to vet ASAP, they reply tgey have an appointment fir the morning, only to come back and say the bird died before the next morning appointment!!! And I said to myself, the something many others say, but tgey were fine yesterday. Birds hide being sick!!! Some hide it till you find them dead! Maybe she was sick before, or maybe it was something that multiplying rapidly, whatever, by the time you see these signs they are extremely sick.
I had a lizard get in the house, I put it outside, shortly after thst Penny sat in the same spot. Lizards carry salmonella, maybe that was what made her sick. My dogs go out into my yard, that has armadillo, opossum, rats, other creatures, that pee and poop. Maybe the dogs brought in something. I'll never know.
I feel extremely lucky, that she is alive. Extremely. My vet feels she has enough improvement to feel these are the right antibiotics. But she us still a very sick bird. And I'm in close contact to see if we need to add ir change medicine.
I'm sharing this for all our guests and members. So you do not fall into the trap of waiting. So you act like this is an emergency, and see your vet the same day!!+
know birds hide being sick, until they can't. They aren't like dogs or cats or people . They are a prey species, that requires the safety of the flock, a flock that will drive them out to save the flock if signs of illness are shown. Birds evolved this way, it isn't a stiff upper lip, or being tough.. its encoded in their DNA!
They don't choose to hide illness, they have no choice.
Nearly once a week we are advising others if this.
I had a quiet voice in my head, say you have never seen a bird present this obviously sick. I feel many others also have their mind real when suddenly out of the blue their bird is sick . They doubt themselves, tgey come here seeking advice, because of course they love their burd. Often they are resistant when we all say you have to take your bird to the vet. There are always difficulties offered, time, distance, money, don't know of a veterinarian
. For all you readers, you need to work that out now! You rarely have much time! Establish yourself with an avain veterinarian, set aside emergency funds. Prepare yourself with how you will provide supplemental warmth and supporting care, and special foods.
Offer foods by hand, and get your parrot used to eating oatmeal, or baby foods, or something that you can hide meds if when needed. And a parrot who will take warm foods, will likely eat those when very sick. But not if they have never been exposed to them before @ And do reach out to our fabulous members, because your head will be spinning, and you won't think of everything, like foods. Like warm sweet potatoes, and peanut butter, baby food, ect...
I will add my link to an article on supporting care for sick birds . Warmth is critical supportive care for sick birds, and by warmth i mean 80-90 degrees, birds normal body temperature is close to 110 degrees i think. It takes a lot of energy to maintain that, energy a sick burd can't spare.
Birds are designed for flight as such they have kean body mass, and little fat stores. They have high metabolism, and are foragers " grazres" with a simplified digestive system in which foods pass quickly. And fighting an illness or injury, takes a lot of calories. For all of the above that's why warmth is so critical, as is supporting foods.
